Voice and Ambivalence in Bless Me Ultima and Baby of the Family Bless Me Ultima and Baby of the Family represent the "coming of age" stories of two minority children. Rudolfo Anaya and Tina McElory Ansa skillfully reveal the richness, diversity, and conflicts that can exist in Hispanic-American and African-American cultures primarily through the dream sequences of each novel. Dreams are the mechanism used in each work to amplify the individual experiences and conflicts that Tony and Lena encounter. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Tony and Lena deal with ambivalence and find their voices not only through relationships with other characters, but through the realization of their dreams. To truly understand how integral and dependent dreams are in novels, few definitions are necessary. Dreams are not just defined as “images that pass through the mind of a sleeping person” (Neufeldt 132). Dreams also include the mystical events or dream events within each novel. Dreams are a way for each character to connect to the past and, perhaps, reveal the future. Tony and Lena's otherworldly experiences or dreams help guide them down the path of ambivalence, and ultimately lead to awakening or attaining the "voice". Webster's New World Dictionary defines ambivalence as "simultaneous conflicting feelings" (13). These “conflicts” can be found in external situations and typically have serious internal implications. This condition is one of the defining factors of the Hispanic-American experience. Are Hispanics immigrants or minorities? In terms of religion, are they Catholic or Indian? Typically, Hispanic Americans conflate the two choices because neither situation totally applies to them. Why… middle of the paper… Once Lena and Tony reconcile with the whirlwind adventures happening around them, there is a solution. A rebirth of sorts occurs for each character as they realize they must take conflicting ideologies and blend them together to form individual voices. Works Cited Ansa, Tina McElroy. Interview with Tina McElroy Ansa of Doubleday. Book group corner. http://www.randomhouse.com/resources/bookgroup/handifanwith_bgc.html. accessed October 30, 2000.Callahan, John F. In the African-American Grain: The Pursuit of Voice in Twentieth-Century Black Fiction. University of Illinois Press: Urbana and Chicago. 1988.Neufeldt, Victoria, ed. Webster's New World Compact Dictionary for School and Office. 1 vol. until today. MacMillan: United States. 1995. Wood, Scott. "Book Reviews: 'Bless Me Ultima.'" Contemporary Literary Criticism. vol. 23 (1983): 22.